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New SARS-related virus kills five more in Saudi Arabia

A coronavirus is shown in this colorized transmission electron micrograph. Saudi Arabia revealed that it has recorded seven new cases of the mysterious infection, and five of the people are already dead. (US National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Saudi Arabia has revealed seven new cases of a novel coronavirus, including five deaths — a surprise announcement that is raising transparency concerns and seems to have caught even the World Health Organization off-guard.

The novel coronavirus, which is genetically related to the virus that causes SARS, has been confirmed in 24 people, 16 of whom died. Prior to these new cases, the last confirmed infection was reported in March.

The seven patients have been known to Saudi Arabian officials for a few days now, the kingdom’s deputy minister for public health, Dr. Ziad Memish, told the Toronto Star in a phone interview. However, laboratory tests only confirmed that the seven cases were coronavirus infections on Wednesday, after which a news release was issued and the WHO was notified, Memish said.

“We heard the rumours and that’s why we sent the team to investigate,” he said. “We have been investigating it for the last few days.”

WHO spokesperson Gregory Hartl said the UN health agency was notified late Wednesday and it is standard for governments to wait until they have laboratory confirmation before reporting new cases involving viruses with pandemic potential.

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But to Dr. Jody Lanard, a Brooklyn-based risk communication expert who has consulted for the WHO in the past, it appears the Saudi government has been demonstrating a lack of transparency since the new coronavirus first came to public attention in September.

“Having analyzed communication as an expert in so many disease outbreaks, Saudi Arabia is showing all the signs of hiding information (and) delaying reports of information,” Lanard said. “We had the SARS outbreak in 2003 and we saw the repercussions of its widespread reach that partly resulted from delayed information — that’s a lesson that should already be learned.”

Lanard was referring to the Chinese government’s initial coverup of SARS, which ultimately spread around the world and killed roughly 800 people. All eyes have been on China again these days because of a new bird flu outbreak, but public health officials say the Chinese have been much more transparent this time around.

Nobody knows yet how people are getting infected by the new coronavirus, which is genetically similar to viruses found in bats. Most cases have been in Saudi Arabia but infections have also been reported in Jordan and Qatar, as well as some imported cases in Germany and the United Kingdom.

There has been some evidence of limited human-to-human transmission — in England, three family members tested positive for the virus after one travelled to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and fell sick upon his return.

Hartl said the WHO has received little information about the new cases, including the patients’ genders, ages or when they fell sick. He said the seven patients are not from the same family, nor do they have any recent travel history or exposure to animals.

They were all treated at the same hospital in Al-Ahsa, in eastern Saudi Arabia, Memish said.

WHO’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Keiji Fukuda told The Canadian Press on Thursday that the WHO wants more and quicker information about new coronavirus cases.

“The more information the better — to help Saudi (Arabia), to help other neighbouring countries, to help the world be better ready,” Hartl said.

But Memish maintains that his government has been as forthcoming as possible when it comes to sharing new information, particularly with the WHO.

“We have been very transparent and we have given all the information on the first few cases,” he said. “So, all we’re asking is that you give us a few days to get the information sorted out and then you will know all the other details.”

But Lanard said far more information about the new coronavirus should be known by now. She said the WHO needs to tread carefully in its interactions with governments and in sharing information publicly — but in this case, the circumstances may warrant a more forceful position, she said.

“I think there are times when they should take off the kid gloves and put on the boxing gloves and let the world know that a country is putting the rest of the world at risk,” she said. “And this is one of those times.”

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